Mother arrested in 14-year-old cold case of ‘Baby Angel' infant found dead in Mississippi River
Jennifer Nichole Baechle, 43, was charged with two counts of second-degree manslaughter for the death of the newborn, who was found floating in a bag on Sept. 5, 2011, in a section of the river near Winona, Minnesota, officials there announced Thursday.
The newborn was wrapped in a green T-shirt, encased in two plastic garbage bags, and then placed inside a tote from a Mexican resort also containing a pendant, incense,and several angel figurines, leading to her being known as 'Baby Angel,' a criminal complaint obtained by the Winona Post noted.
3 Jennifer Nichole Baechle was charged with two counts of second-degree manslaughter for the 14-year-old cold case of the death of her infant, found dead in a bag in the Mississippi River.
Winona County Sheriff
'While her birth mother remained hidden, this community wrapped its arms around this little girl,' Winona County Sheriff Ron Ganrude said at a Thursday press conference.
'Ever since, they've waited in patience for answers that she deserved. We never gave up working to find those answers.'
'She deserved better than a watery grave, she deserved more than a life cut short.' Ganrude said.
3 'Baby Angel' was born a day or two before she died, an autopsy revealed.
Minnesota-Wisconsin K9 Search and Rescue
Baby Angel was born just a day or two before she died, a 2011 autopsy revealed.
A 4-inch cord was attached to the baby and did not appear to be cut by a medical provider — and she had suffered several skull fractures, the autopsy said.
3 The baby was found with several angel figurines, dubbing her 'Baby Angel.'
FOX 9 KMSP
Multiple agencies investigated the baby's death, but there were no major developments until 2023, when a nonprofit genetic research company, Firebird Forensics Group, identified Baechle as a possible lead in the case.
Baechle denied police requests for a DNA sample — but authorities were able to collect a used feminine hygiene product from the trash outside her home.
The match was confirmed with additional testing a year later, with DNA found on the bag Baby Angel was found in also matching Baechles, the complaint said.
Baechle's family said they did not have contact with her in 2011, and that she was living in a van — but knew she collected angel figurines and the pendant found with her baby, according to the document.
If convicted, she faces four years in prison, cops said.
She is currently held on an unconditional bail of $200,000 and a conditional bail of $20,000, pending her agreement not to leave the state and wear a GPS monitor after a judge determined her to be a flight risk.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
Richard Jefferson's description of 'professional' Karl Malone omits a key fact
In late July, as the NBA ostensibly moves toward marketing its newest generation of stars, possible future face of the league Victor Wembanyama's social media activity indicated that he may want the league to distance itself from Karl Malone. For those not in the know, Malone allegedly impregnated a 13-year-old child when he was 20, with subsequent blood tests offering a 99.3 percent probability that he was the father. The family of the 13-year-old elected not to press charges. But the NBA's continued public celebration of the Hall of Fame power forward's basketball accomplishments year over year, despite heinous situations and actions like this hanging overhead, suggests the league lacks reasonable sensitivity. With Malone recently back in the spotlight because of his birthday last month, it seems someone forgot to pass along this memo to former NBA forward Richard Jefferson, who probably should have avoided giving him his flowers in a recent episode of the Road Trippin' podcast. While comparing another Hall of Fame power forward, Charles Barkley, Jefferson said he would take Malone over Barkley all-time because of Malone's "level of professionalism." Uh, I have thoughts, but let me gather them up first. You can catch the full context of Jefferson's sentiments at the 50:10 timestamp below. (Warning: NSFW language is involved in this video.) Look, it's not great that Barkley may not have taken his training as seriously as he could have throughout his iconic career. Work ethic-wise, he likely left a lot of meat on the bone with the natural talent he possessed. But any ultimately harmless drinking or partying by Barkley as a player pales in comparison from a professionalism perspective compared to the despicable acts Malone has been accused of at worst, and any other shameless, unethical transgressions at best. In the mid-1980s, the grandparents of Demetress Bell (the child of the 13-year-old Malone allegedly impregnated) sued Malone for weekly $200 payments in child support. He would instead eventually reach a settlement that didn't require him to acknowledge his paternity of Bell. A separate incident later occurred with Bonita Ford, Malone's high school girlfriend, who filed a paternity lawsuit against him in 1989 over her twin children. Malone refused to submit DNA blood tests, resolved the case out of court, and only later reached out to both children in 1998 when they were 17-year-old highly-touted basketball recruits. Outside of any paternity issues, Malone did not seem like a saint as a basketball teammate, either. He was once famously embroiled in a conflict with the late Kobe Bryant and his widow, Vanessa. Per the Los Angeles Times, Malone reportedly made inappropriate passes at Vanessa Bryant during a November 2004 game, even apparently telling the daughter of Mexican immigrants that he was "hunting for little Mexican girls." After initial back-and-forth, unproductive discussions, Malone would later offer to simply fight Bryant to settle their beef. Professionalism is not an appropriate description to use if you're going to invoke Malone in this context. Not to mention that it's quite disingenuous in itself to only talk about Malone the basketball player for entertainment purposes, like it's a bog-standard water-cooler conversation about remembering some guys. Because it's not. Jefferson knows better and needs to do better. Regrettably, he's not alone in this regard.
UPI
19 hours ago
- UPI
Seven inmates killed, 11 injured in Mexican prison riot
Aug. 4 (UPI) -- At least seven inmates are dead and 11 people injured in a riot that broke out at a Mexican prison, according to authorities, who said they have restored control over the facility. The Department of Public Security of Veracruz said in a statement that control over the Tuxpan Social Reintegration Center, located in southern Mexico, was restored at around 9 a.m. local time Sunday following a coordinated law enforcement operation. Officials said the riot erupted on Saturday. Several fires that were lit within the facility have since been extinguished, they said. The department did not specify whether the injured were inmates, stating that they were "receiving medical attention at various hospitals." Three inmates were relocated to another prison due to the riot, they said. The cause of the riot was not clear.
a day ago
Prison riot in Mexico's Veracruz state leaves 7 dead, 11 injured
TUXPAN, Mexico -- Authorities in the Mexican state of Veracruz on Sunday said they have restored order in a prison where seven inmates were killed and 11 were injured in a riot that broke out the previous night. In a statement posted on X, the Department of Public Security of Veracruz said prisoners injured during the riot in Tuxpan prison are now receiving medical attention, and that fires started by some of the inmates have been extinguished. Videos from the city of Tuxpan showed columns of smoke emerging from the prison on Saturday, while footage published on social media showed inmates with burns. Some of the inmates recorded videos in which they claimed the riot began as a group of prisoners rebelled against a criminal organization known as Grupo Sombra that was extorting prisoners and their families. The Tuxpan prison was holding 778 prisoners in June, according to the latest official data. It is designed to house 735 inmates.
